Russia's first peace offer in 2022 was all but Ukraine's surrender, leaked documents show

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) investigation project Sistema reported on Nov. 4 it had obtained the first draft of Moscow's peace offer to Kyiv, issued days after the start of Russia's all-out war against Ukraine.

Moscow and Kyiv held unsuccessful talks in Belarus and Turkey in the early months of the full-scale war, with no direct negotiations having been taking part ever since.

The six-page document, published by Sistema, had four pages of annexes and was dated March 7, 2022. Russian delegation handed it over to the Ukrainian side during the third round of talks in Belovezhskaya Pushcha in Belarus.

Sistema received a draft from an unnamed Ukrainian source familiar with the talks, and a Russian source who confirmed its authenticity.

The unilateral terms of the document apparently meant Kyiv's capitulation, the article read.

The New York Times (NYT) in June published the 17-page purported draft in full dated April 15, 2022. Although it has similarities to the first draft, such as the lifting of all sanctions against Moscow, Russia softened its stance on other demands.

In the initial document, dated March 7, Moscow demanded Ukraine to reduce its army to 50,000 people, five times less than the country had by 2022, as well as reduce the number of ships, helicopters, and tanks.

Russia planned to ban Ukraine from developing "any other types of weapons as a result of scientific research." According to the draft, Moscow demanded not to produce, acquire or deploy in Ukraine missile weapons "of any type with a range of more than 250 km."

Ukraine also reportedly should have confirmed the independence of the country's eastern Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, by then partly occupied by Russia, and rebuild the the regions' infrastructure destroyed since following Russia's invasion.

Among other things, Russia demanded to de facto legalize Soviet and communist symbols in Ukraine.

Russian President Putin said in June 2024 that, as a condition for peace negotiations, Ukrainian troops must leave the country's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. He added that Ukraine must recognize Russia's annexation of the regions and abandon any ambition to join NATO. Kyiv rejected this demand.

Ukraine said the peace talks should be held on the basis of its 10-step peace formula, which includes a full withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

Ukraine open to Qatar mediating energy security with Russia, says no talks currently ongoing

Ukraine is not holding direct talks with Russia on an energy ceasefire but is open to a third country mediating the implementation of the peace formula, said Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, in a televised interview on Nov. 4.

The Kyiv IndependentBoldizsar Gyori

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